Members for Democracy Archive

Pension-Fleecing Pervert In His Own Neverland

For years he's been a phantom in the haunted house that is the trustees of the Canadian UFCW's troubled pension plan built: Ronald Hubert Kelly, former Catholic priest, convicted sex offender, archdiosese up-and-comer, cemetery consultant and then - thanks to the pension plan trustees - real estate tycoon.

We've learned a lot about the former Father Kelly over the past few years starting with the $15 million "lucky break" he got from the pension trustees in 1992, the many more millions that followed, his grandiose schemes in the Caribbean, his bust for fraud last year, the millions he borrowed from Canadian workers and never paid back and the sad state of their pension plan today.

But Kelly remained elusive. Efforts to contact him at his various addresses in Canada and the Caribbean always led nowhere. His exact whereabouts were never clear. He kept numerous office addresses in Canada but was believed to be cooling his heels in the Caribbean most of the time.

Thanks to the efforts of some persistent journalists in Panama and Canada, Kelly's crib has been discovered and what a crib it is!

Eric Jackson, the editor of an English language newpaper called the Panama News is responsible for the discovery - a sprawling faux medieval castle high on a hilltop in the Panamanian district of El Espino.

In an article entitled El Espino's least desirable neighbor Jackson recounts some of Kelly's past and sheds some light on his current lifestyle.

"I had no idea," Antonio Pope said. The representante of the San Carlos corregimiento of El Espino had heard the tales of a steady stream of young men --- never any women --- going in and out of the estate owned by a tall, wealthy Canadian man in his early 60s, one Ronald Hubert Kelly. But until this reporter came to him with the documented tale, Pope didn't know that the man who is probably the biggest landowner in his constituency has a 10-count record of molesting teenage boys.

While the members whose pension plan he fleeced have to cope with reductions to their benefits, Kelly is living the high life with a number of full time servants and a small zoo. And his sprawling estate has a history fit for a wealthy pervert.

Kelly bought one of the landmarks on the road to El Valle, the sprawling estate with the faux medieval wall once owned by former El Siglo publisher Jaime Padilla Beliz. Coming with the land and the several houses on it was a private zoo, some of whose animals this reporter observed by looking over the fence and through the trees from a rise across the road. According to neighbors, Kelly employs six or seven men full-time to maintain the premises. But the compound that the pedophile ex-priest bought from the former necro-porn publisher is the smaller part of Kelly's real estate holding in El Espino. Kelly has also acquired a much larger, mostly wooded adjacent tract to the south of Padilla Beliz's old place and neighbors say that in all Kelly's holdings encompass at least a square kilometer and probably much more than that.

Apart from his whereabouts, Kelly's convictions for sexual assault on young boys have been brought to the attention of Panamanian authorities who are pondering how he got into their country and whether they want to roll up the welcome mat in light of his convictions for sexual assault on a number of young boys while a parish priest in Newfoundland in the late 1970's.

"But does Kelly have any legal right to be here at all?" Jackson asks. "The unanimous consensus of legal opinion sought by The Panama News is that he does not."

A spokesman for Migracion said that for any foreigner seeking a visa to live in Panama, a lifetime judicial history is required. He added that people with known convictions for child molesting are not allowed in Panama.

Law professor Miguel Antonio Bernal concurred with the immigration spokesman about the absolute requirement to reveal a conviction for sexual abuse when applying for a resident's visa. He also noted that Article 12 of the Panamanian Constitution, which regulates naturalization, allows for the exclusion of individuals on, among others, moral, safety or mental health grounds and argued that this would be meaningless if visa applicants were not required to reveal such things as a criminal record of pedophile offenses.

Too bad the UFCW pension plan trustees aren't as fussy. Despite their recent claims that Kelly's company RHK Capital went bankrupt several years ago and that they stopped doing business with him some time ago, a report from the Financial Services Commission of Ontario indicates otherwise. The final page of the report clearly shows money flowing from the pension fund to RHK Capital and PRK Holdings, another company which - according to the FSCO - is owned by Kelly's RHK.

It's bad enough that pension plan members are hurting while the man who fleeced their plan is living like a king in his own Neverland, it's worse that their pension trustees continue to support him and cover up their relationship with him.

Tune in again soon for some wicked pics of Count Crookula's Castle.

I was discussing this article (plus the opinion piece that weiser had linked in another thread) with a former coworker earlier tonight.

Just wondering, if Panama kicks him out... where to next? Can he freely wander the Bahamas during appeal? Has he already transferred his cash to another island and enroute? Or will he end up hiding out in his Aurora mansion (which I was long ago invited too- never went!!- I take that as a very scary compliment- thank ya very much).

Last time I saw this guy, he pulled up in front of the Travelodge with his chauffer and Bentley. Picture that. It was sometime after the sale to himself and Royal Host. He had lost weight, but still had the big paunch. And he didn't seem impressed with what they (whoever they were) were doing with the place. We were in decline and a couple of us complained to him at that time. Some others spoke to Toby Rowe... who I'm pretty sure is Ron's nephew, mom's side (and rumours aside)- the guy you always had to go through to get to Ron- and he was of the same opinion.

I'd love to know the details of that sale in '98. Some great planning and bookwork went down. Ron shifted to the Caribbean and the Royer dicks took over up here.

And in a really ironic and sick twist (that someone really should let that bastard Kelly know about), the workers of the 'job-creation' hotel... who had always supported him (up to 300 employees in the early days)... are still getting screwed. Not only did they suffer through the cuts and neglect over the years, lose their jobs in a scam, got screwed on their severence... but word is that there is now a Travelodge 'curse'.

It seems that the hotel job market is pretty sparse for those that have the Mondo Condo on their resume. Interesting because these people were offered help in finding work by both the union and Royal Host. Never happened. It seems that the worry is that these employees might corrupt other properties and so are avoided like the plague. Some are in real bad financial shape. The only property that took anyone is the Dixon Rd Travelodge (only Royal Host ass-kissers need apply) and we have a good story there too... they just hired on a manager that wasn't originally wanted and actually involved in a severance lawsuit against Royal Host. Paid her off and tried to screw the suit that way.

Doesn't anyone believe in karmic principles? Forget past lives. A few people are gonna have to learn its meaning in this one.

quote:

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posted by weiser:
Father Ronnie has a very nice place just outside of Nassau. He hides there and invites nice Bahamian boys and men to visit.

We'll get pictures of that place too.

If you're a priest with the least, Ronnie's the guy to visit if you're in Panama, or so we're told. That's where Willie can visit the chocolate factory.

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Weiser,

Do you mean "Willie" as in penis, and
"chocolate factory" as in people of colour?

Panama Ethic Groups

http://www.photius.com/wfb1999/panama/panama_people.html

I would never refer to people of colour as "chocolate". That's not what I meant at all, and I sincerely appologize if anyone took it to mean a racial slur.

Willie is a euphamism for a penis, so that's what I meant. As to the chocolate factory, I leave that to your imagination.